Hoverboard ad hides the probability that there are still no hoverboards

Matt Prigge

A new ad has touted a forthcoming hoverboard called the HUVr. But it's probably fake, despite the presence of "Back to the Future" star Christopher Lloyd.

A new company claims to have invented a hoverboard, as seen in "Back to the Future Part II."Credit: Provided

In 1989, “Back to the Future Part II” predicted a 2015 in which hologram sharks would be a marketing fixture, kids were into face tattoos and the Chicago Cubs won the World Series.

None of this proved true (although it did accurately foresee flat-panel televisions). And neither did the film’s most palatable (allegedly) gimmick: hoverboards, which float a few feet above the ground. If you were unable to balance on skateboards, hoverboards would add vertigo to the equation.

One would assume it would only take 25 years for scientists to invent one of these monstrosities. And if you’re very gullible, you have reason to think one is forthcoming. The Internet was just hit with a (we’re told) real ad for Huvr, a (we’re told) real hoverboard, featuring a demonstration, plus Tony Hawk and “Back to the Future” star Christopher Lloyd for apparent verisimilitude.

No one with that much money would have the ability to fake an eternally futuristic technology, right?

Alas and alack, the ad is almost certainly bogus. Numerous sites have debunked it, pointing to things such as visible wires in the shots and an MIT researcher played by a known actor. In fact, Mashable appears to have proof that it’s a Funny or Die video. But why would a site try to attract millions of hits with a joke ad promising a tech item apparently millions want to be real? What's the end goal?

Those with long memories may recall that this isn’t the first (and probably not the last) time the hoverboard has been asserted to be real. A TV making of special for “Back to the Future Part II,” in fact, featured host Leslie Nielsen claiming they were in the works. No doubt people took him seriously in 1989 as well.